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Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Teens kill Australian student in Oklahoma for "The Fun Of It"

Growing up in Hawaii, I remember getting beaten up by 6 guys one night simply because I was from a different part of the island. And yes, there is the fact that though I was a "local boy" - I was not real dark complected.

Later, I found out that they beat the crap out of me "just for the fun of it."

But honestly, getting your butt kicked is a far cry from getting shot dead for "the fun of it."

And no, I don't know what sort of mentality it takes to say, "We're bored, let's go out and kill someone" as has been reported.

Lack of humanity, lack of conscience, no moral compass, not accepting that there are things that are right and wrong, not accepting that there are consequences for their actions, thinking that life has no value, all play a role in this sort of horrible act.

Christopher Lane, shown in an undated picture above, was attending school in Oklahoma on a baseball scholarship when he was gunned down for the "fun of it."

Three teenage suspects accused of gunning down an Australian student in Oklahoma for the "fun of it," according to police, are expected to face first-degree murder charges in court today.

Christopher Lane, 22, who was visiting the U.S. on a baseball scholarship at East Central University, was jogging along a road in Duncan, Okla., after visiting his girlfriend on Friday when he was shot in the back, allegedly by the teens.

A woman tried CPR and paramedics arrived on scene, but Lane was pronounced dead an hour later.

"He went by a residence where these three boys were, they picked him as a target, they went out and got in a vehicle and followed him," Duncan Police Department Chief Danny Ford told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, according to AFP.

Yes, they picked him out not to threaten or to fight him - but to execute him!
"They came up from behind and basically shot him in the back with a small caliber weapon, then sped away," Ford added.

Richard Rhodes, a builder who discovered Lane lying face down, said he was targeted with a .22 caliber revolver.

Police tracked the teens down using surveillance video from a business that is near the shooting scene, KOCO reports.

If the three teenagers arrested are charged with first-degree murder and convicted, they face a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The teens, ages 15, 16 and 17, can be tried as adults, but they can't face the death penalty since they are under the age of 18, a spokesperson for District Attorney Jason Hicks told the Sydney Morning Herald.

So they would face the "possibility" of life in prison, with computers, television, medical and dental services, food, clothing, and "conjugal visits," while Christopher Lee is still dead.

But really, why can't they be hanged for what they did? Or better yet, why can't they be simply taken out and shot in the same way that they shot an innocent man just out jogging?

I know real well that someone out there is going to write and say that studies show that the death penalty does not deter crime, and that it does not stop it from happening after a prisoner (inmate) has been released.

Since my first college degree was in the Administration of Justice (Criminal Justice), I'll give those folks the same argument that I did almost 30 years ago: it does stop murders from taking place if only by a factor of one.

Statistics show, that if released, a killer or rapist or pedophile is apt to act out his crime again after his release.

So by just removing that one person who did do the crime, we save a life that will most likely be taken by that killer.

The teens in this case have not been identified by police and remain in custody at Stephens County Jail in Duncan. They are expected to appear in court Tuesday afternoon.

My belief is that teens who do adult crimes should be treated as adults in every way.

For example, Trayvon Martin was 17 years old when he attacked George Zimmerman by breaking his nose than getting on top of him and tried to beat his head into a concrete sidewalk.

If Trayvon Martin was successful in killing George Zimmerman, and if someone would have actually gave a shit that Zimmerman was killed, shouldn't Martin have been tried for murder as an adult?

Police revealed Sunday that one of the teens confessed to the crime and said he did it for the "fun of it," KOCO reports.

"The boy who has talked to us said, 'We were bored and didn't have anything to do, so we decided to kill somebody,'" Ford told the Associated Press.

After the teens were arrested, Ford said the driver, who is 17, told police they were all at the scene of the slaying and that the 16-year-old suspect pulled the trigger.

On one of the alleged killer's Facebook pages, investigators found the message: "Bang. Two drops in two hours," Sky News reports.

Yes, there was another unnamed victim.

"They wanted to be Billy Bob Badasses," said Chief Ford. "I think they were on a killing spree. We would have had more bodies that night if we didn't get them."

Ford wouldn't say how many times Christopher Lane was shot. Autopsy results are pending.

Now, here comes the parents who can't believe that there son could do such an evil act.

The mother of the 16-year-old accused in the killing said her son and his two friends were part of a “wannabe gang,” but insisted that he is not a killer, KOCO reports.

It was being reported that the teens liked to emulate the "gangsta" lifestyle.

The father of the 15-year-old also denied his son had a role in Lane’s death, but said the boy had run-ins with the law before, News.com.au reports.

You ever notice how, even with their own confessions in hand, parents still refuse to face the facts that their kid is a killer?

In fact, no one has ever asked Trayvon Martin's parents what they thought of their poor little boy (who looked so much like president Obama if he had a son) trying to smash George Zimmerman's head into the cement pavement?

These are the "wannabe gangstas" who decided to carry out their Hate Crime and kill for fun.

And really, where is President Obama and Oprah Winfrey on this horrible act? Probably nowhere to be found.

In my opinion, racists like the president and Oprah simply don't put any importance on a young white man getting killed in an unprovoked "Hate Crime" by blacks who sought pleasure in the murder of an unarmed white guy.

No hoodie and Skettles here, no one except the killers would look like the president if he had a son, just a white guy out jogging pass a few racist killers.

The news report said that Christopher girlfriend, Sarah Harper, wrote a tribute on Facebook after he was killed.

"I love you so much babe," she said, according to Sky News. "From 2009 until forever you will always be mine and in a very special and protected place in my heart."

Christopher grew up in Oak Park in Melbourne, Australia. He was studying at East Central University (ECU), where he had won a scholarship to be the team's catcher, and had been back in the US for just three days after visiting his family in Australia, along with girlfriend Sarah Harper. The pair had been together for four years.

East Central University is setting up a fund so Lane’s parents, who are still in Australia, can come to Oklahoma.

"Chris was a well-liked young man here on campus. His teammates thought a lot of him. Seemed to be a bright, promising student," Dr. Jeff Williams, the athletic director at East Central University, told KOCO.

East Central University is in Ada, about 85 miles west of Duncan. Lane started 14 games at catcher last year and was entering his senior year.

The killing of Christopher Lane has rattled the quiet town of 24,000, where Ford said he couldn't recall the last time there was a murder.

"I don't think we average one [murder] a year," said Duncan chief of police Danny Ford. "Basically, we're a rural Oklahoma community."

Peter Lane, Christopher's dad, told the Sydney Morning Herald that his son was "a kid on the cusp of making his life."

"There's not going to be any good come out of this because it was just so senseless," Mr Lane said.

"He was an athlete going for a jog like he would do five or six days a week in terms of his training schedule," he said. "It's happened, it's wrong and we just try and deal with it the best we can."

My heart goes out to those close to Christopher. I can't imagine what they are going through, the loss, the senselessness of this.

According to the laws of the state of Oklahoma, the teenagers who did this can't be put to death.

But really, I want to know why not? Those teenagers are not human, they are worse than cold and completely numb - it made them happy. They killed for "fun".

To me, they are worse than rabid dogs. At least a rabid dog has an excuse for doing what it does. They are not responsible for their sickness.

The animals who killed Christopher Lane saw enjoyment in killing him.

That alone should be reason enough to give them the death penalty. They knew better but did what they did for the "fun of it" - just for pleasure.

It's what we are asked to do.

For Your Convenience

MY ALMA MATER

FFL

For Your Convenience

Lay Some Happiness On Me -- Dean Martin

About me?

About me? Well I'm married, and my wife and I live in California, in a small town with a population of about 200 nestled in the central Sierra Nevada Mountains. I'm originally from Hawaii, of Portuguese ancestry, retired, a former U.S. Marine, old fashion, Catholic, very Conservative, and not Politically Correct. As for being a Cowboy? Yes, you can thank my Grandpa for my Cowboy ways. The years I spent growing up on my grandfather's ranch in Kunia on Oahu in Hawaii helped make me who I am. As for my writing style? I'm an informal writer. You'll find I write the same as if we were talking over a cup of coffee. Why write this blog? Well, my wife and I believe we should celebrate and defend our American culture, values, heritage, our country lifestyle, and all that makes us proud Americans. Like others, we live simple and work hard to make ends meet while thanking God for our blessings. Basically we're just your neighbors with opinions, stories, and information. Thanks for stopping in.